Forgiven
by TheCatWithTheHat
Summary: Cross-sequel to Typical Mutant and Please Forgive Me. Nikola Ride has an awesome life-her whole family has wings and can fly! Her parents, Max and Fang, are great-that is, until dates appear on their necks and Nick is left alone. With the help of her cousin Corbin, she sets out to find out why she is now an orphan and uncovers mysteries about her family's past. OCs. HIATUS
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: NEW STORY! WHAAAAT!**

**IMPORTANT NOTE: This is a cross-sequel between Typical Mutant **_**and**_** Please Forgive Me. Meaning, if you haven't read both of those stories, you may be a tad bit confused. So I suggest you go and read both of those stories and then return. K?**

**Ok, and now, time to get to the story. :D I am so excited for this.. I wrote the first chapter to this probably at least a year ago, if not more. I've had this waiting for soooo long.**

**Disclaimer: This is the only time I'm going to say it. I don't own Maximum Ride – never have, never will. This covers every chapter, okay? Thank you.**

Nick POV

Hey, hey. It's Nikola Ride. Call me that and I will do my best to send you back to your

Okay, not even gonna finish that. It'd be a total waste of time. Speaking of wastes of time, this whole thing is a waste of time. Mark my words, I'm only doing this because

God! I'm having extreme difficulty finishing anything that

Okay. Let me just type the word.

Just...give me a moment.

...

...

...

M

Aaaaarg!

This is impossible!

Why am I not able to get over this? It's been a whole week since

Oh My Gooooooooddddd! I swear I am going to kill someone!

Okay. Pilates time, everyone. No, I am totally just screwing with ya. Do I seem like a Pilates kind of girl? The correct answer is no. Not even my

Why does it keep coming back to this? Okay, I need to get totally off subject. Bacon!

...No, that reminds me too much of

Holy - There must be something. What about...Government Banan

See, I'm hopeless. Even the most random things keep circling back to

You know, maybe I should just...explain. You have the right to know everything about

-steam comes out of ears-

Okay. Really. This time it'll work. Let's just get started.

* * *

So I really don't actually know how to explain this. I guess I'll just show you a flashback, since I'm kind of new at this and I seem incapable of just typing out four letters.

* * *

We'd finished training for the day. Already I could knock Angel down in three seconds flat. And she was eleven years older than me! Gaz was a bit more tricky - it took me at least three minutes before I could pin him down, if he didn't get me first. It was about 50/50. Nudge, the same. Uncle Ig and I were pretty evenly matched. He was getting old - 31. Same as Mama and Dad.

But Mama and Dad were a whole 'nother story. Dad could knock me flat in about ten seconds. Mama was a bit more gentle, usually cheering me on from the sidelines and then tussling with Dad afterwards. Dad was real gentle with her, and most of their fights ended with them kissing on the grass. It just goes to show how much Angel, Gaz, and Nudge have changed when they cover their eyes and start screaming at the top of their voices when Mama and Dad do this. Uncle Ig and I just look at each other - well, I look at him, seeing as he's been blind for 24 years, and he stares at a spot around my right ear - and we both roll our eyes exaggeratedly.

Anyway, Mama was about eight months pregnant on this particular day, with my new baby sibling. And I'll tell you right now that I was excited as hell for baby Ride to arrive. Not that I was admitting it to anyone. But whenever I looked at Mama's swollen belly, an excitedly panicked feeling rose in my chest. You know the one.

Since Mama and Dad had been only seventeen when I'd been conceived and born, I was more of a trial run, and this baby was like the real thing. But I didn't mind. I loved my life - I'd been the baby for so long, and even though I didn't turn out exactly how they'd planned, well, I'd had hormonal teenagers raising me. You can't blame me. This baby would be more normal, if you could call it that.

Anyway, Dad was making Mama sit these sessions out, and she didn't really seem to mind. She sat back, her maroon and purple striped shirt bulging, and shaded her eyes with one hand. Her hair, which was curly from the pregnancy hormones, frizzed down her back. It would straighten back out after the hormones were gone.

Dad and Uncle Ig tussled on the grass in front of us, while Gaz and Nudge cheered them on. I lay back next to Mama and spread my wings out. They were black, like Dad's, but they had shining gold streaks in them. When they caught the sunlight, the gold flashed like wire. I had long bangs to my shoulders, the rest shorter than most boys'. It was black with gold streaks like my wings, and so were my eyes. I had sharp, angular features like my dad, and his skin tone. But I was built a little more like my mama - lithe, thin, fast reflexes. And I sure as hell had her temper.

Anyway, we were all just relaxing, when suddenly Dad froze. Uncle Ig rained blows down on him, but Dad just lay there, not moving.

"What's wrong, Fang?" Uncle Ig sneered. "You finally accepting my superiority?"

Dad grabbed Uncle Ig's wrists, freezing his movement. With one movement, he flipped Uncle Ig over and sat on his back, pinning his arms underneath him.

"Fang!" Uncle Ig howled, getting a mouthful of dirt. "No fair!"

Dad didn't move. Mama tensed next to me.

"What is it, Fang?" she murmured.

Dad reached forward and brushed the hair off of the back of Uncle Ig's neck. Mama sucked in a breath, and I sat up to see what the fuss was about.

There was something tattooed on the back of Uncle Ig's neck, something that his long, shaggy hair has been hiding. It looked kind of like a date.

"When did you get that done, Uncle Ig?" I asked curiously, not getting it.

Without warning, Nudge burst out crying. Everything else seemed frozen. Gaz and Angel's eyes were wide with terror. Mama and Dad were both staring in shock at the back of Uncle Ig's neck. And horror rose on Uncle Ig's face as he realized what was going on.

Well, that put him one step ahead of me. I had absolutely no idea what was happening.

"What?" My voice rose and cracked. "What's going on, guys?"

"Check everyone." Mama's voice sounded hoarse. "Now."

They all started crawling around and checking each other's necks. My eyes widened when Mama grabbed my shoulders and bent my head forward painfully. "Wait!" I shouted, wrenching myself out of her grip. I noticed her close her eyes and sigh with relief. "What the hell is happening?"

Nudge was facedown in the grass, her shoulders shaking. Her hair had been pulled aside to reveal an inky tattoo on her neck. Gaz had drawn his sister into his arms and they were sobbing into each other, just like they were little kids again. And Uncle Ig was frozen, still lying in the grass, his mouth slightly open.

_"IGGY!" _

Mama's shrill scream keened out across the open air, just as Dad fell forward. Mama lunged forward and caught him in her arms. He sagged against her ballooned belly.

_**"FANG!"**_

That single word ripped my heart to shreds. I opened my mouth and screamed as Mama's eyes rolled up in her head and she collapsed backward, her arms still around Dad. Nudge's shoulders were still. Gaz and Angel were slumped in the grass, their arms still around each other.

"Mama - no -"

I rolled Mama over. Her chest wasn't moving. Her eyes were open, staring up at the sky. Dad rolled off her chest, his arms flopping lifelessly.

"NOOOOO!" I screamed, tears poured down my face. I scrambled around, checking each Flock member. I shook Angel. Nudge's tears hadn't yet dried off her face. Gaz's big blue eyes were still full of terror.

I crawled over to Uncle Ig. My eyes were streaming with tears.

"Uncle...Ig..." I wailed.

"...Nick..."

I froze, then flipped over Uncle Ig. His mouth was slightly open, his eyes were closed. With effort, he forced them open. They were clear.

His blue eyes landed on mine. One of my tears landed on his face.

"I...can see you...Nikola..." Ig breathed. His smile stretched across his lips; wavered, and then stretched again. One of his pale, thin hands reached up to touch my face. "You're...so beautiful," he managed. "Maximum...was right...about you, Nikola."

"Uncle Ig," I choked. "You can't die! You can't leave me!"

"It's...my time," he choked. "My last adventure ...begins..."

He smiled again before he lost control.

"You're...so beautiful..." he said again. "I...love you, Nikola."

His hand fell from my face. He was gone.

"NOOO!" I sobbed. I fell forward onto his chest.

I didn't move until long after he'd gone cold.

* * *

I rested my chin on the handle of the shovel. Sweat poured down my face, and stuck my shirt to my back and stomach. My jaw trembled as I thought of my flock, my family, now lying in their final resting places.

I laid down the shovel and trudged back into the house where we were living. Heading straight for the phone, I paused. I looked down at the numbers, inserting one nail into my mouth and chewing furiously. There was a small sheet of paper next to the phone with two numbers I'd never called in my life.

I made my decision and picked up the phone, dialing and then sticking it next to my ear. It rang and rang before going to voicemail. I hung up and dialed the other one.

Unfortunately, this one was answered.

"Dr. Martinez speaking, how can I help you." It wasn't a question.

"Hello. This is...Nick."

"Nick?" Dr. Martinez sounded confused.

"Nikola. I'm..."

"Are you selling something?" Dr. Martinez asked suspiciously. "I thought I unsubscribed to all of Ella's magazines a long time ago."

"No...I'm your granddaughter."

* * *

Five hours later, I was climbing out of a taxicab in front of the Martinez home. I gripped the straps of my backpack nervously, my bottom lip trembling again. A tear rolled down my cheek as the taxi drove away. I swiped it away angrily and strode up to the front door, ringing the doorbell.

Dr. Martinez answered right away. Her hair was all gray now, and she had a toddler on her hip. She stared at me for a moment before crying out and setting down the toddler, who pattered away back into the house.

"Oh, my goodness," she said. "You look just like your father."

At the mention of "your father," I started bawling. She wrapped me up in a hug and I sobbed into her apron.

"Come in, honey," she said, taking me into the house.

In the kitchen, there was a young woman leaning back on the back two legs of a chair. She was a beautiful Hispanic woman, with glossy black hair cut in a bob, her large brown eyes wide with curiosity. When she saw me, her chair flew down with a thump. She gave a little cry.

"Holy crap," she said. "Ho-ly _crap."_

I gave another sob. My eyes were stinging.

"Ssh, ssh," Dr. Martinez soothed. "What's the matter, Nikola, honey?"

I opened my mouth.

"They're dead," I wailed.

The woman froze. Dr. Martinez stiffened. Her arms clutched my back, panicked.

"Mama and Dad and Uncle Ig," I sobbed, "and Nudge and Gaz and Angel. They're de-" I stopped and swallowed. "Dead," I sobbed.

Dr. Martinez's arms went limp, and she fainted on the floor. I sank to my knees, but in a flash, the woman was there.

"I'm Ella," she murmured, "your aunt. You must be Max and Fang's little girl."

I sobbed into her blouse. She wrapped her arms around me and shouted a name into the house. Strong arms lifted me up and carried me away into blackness.

* * *

I didn't eat, speak, or come out of my room for three days. I sat on my bed with my arms wrapped around my legs and stared out of the window with dry eyes. Dr. Martinez, Ella, and her husband, Gage, came in occasionally, often accompanied by Ella and Gage's son, James, and their baby daughter, Monica. James was the toddler I'd seen earlier, and Monica was about seven months. I guess they were my cousins.

I finally came downstairs after three days, plodding down after a hot shower. My hair hung wet and limp around my face, but at least I no longer smelled of Death.

I sat at the kitchen table. Dr. Martinez turned around, surprised to find me sitting there. She handed me her mug of freshly made coffee and I held it between my hands, letting the warmth seep into me. She made herself another cup and then sat next to me. Her eyes were also rimmed with red, and every time she looked at me, they brimmed with tears again.

When I didn't say anything, she offered her words first.

"When Max was...seventeen," she said, counting back years, "we had a disagreement. I don't even remember what it was about now. But it's the last time she spoke to either me or Ella."

I didn't say anything.

"When Gage and Ella got married, we hoped that Max would hear about it somehow and show up, but she didn't. That was six years ago. I guess she was too busy with you, but I wasn't to know that. I didn't even know you existed!"

Her voice sounded all full of agony for a moment. She wrapped her arms around her waist and closed her eyes. A tear seeped out from under her lids.

"How did it happen?" she finally croaked out.

"These...tattoo things. Dates. On the backs of their necks." Each word weighed a hundred pounds on the tip of my tongue. My mouth felt swollen.

Dr. Martinez exhaled slowly. "Expiration dates. I was afraid that would happen."

"Expiration dates?"

"All the experiments at the School had one. They show up when you're about to die. Actually, I'm surprised it took so long."

I swallowed. Mama's swollen belly appeared behind my eyelids. Uncle Ig had told us it was a boy, and I used to spend hours dreaming up names. Micah? Logan? Dean? I don't know. I must have come up with hundreds. I had a little notebook that I wrote them all down in.

"Will I have one?" I asked Dr. Martinez.

She frowned. "I honestly have no idea. You're offspring from direct experiments. None of them ever lived long enough to breed before. I expect they'll want to collect you for testing."

I froze.

"And if you want to stay safe," she said, looking right in my eyes, "there's only one place I can send you."

* * *

**Reviews are loved. :)**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: At xoxoeosvugirl's insistence here is chapter 2. I guess it doesn't matter since she's the only one reading this right now :P so here you go, Jess.**

**Okay, maybe she's not the only one reading it. But she's the only one who will r&r consistently, if I know you, m4tigers, which I do. Haha. I love you guys.. enjoy. :P**

IggyPOV

I still remember the day that Nick said her first word. To my ultimate surprise, and just about everyone else's, it wasn't 'Mama' or 'Papa'. It wasn't 'yes' or 'no'. It was 'uncle'.

It was silent for a moment. Then Max spoke.

"She's looking right at you, Iggy," she informed me.

I grinned in spite of myself. That is, I did until Gazzy slapped me across the face.

"Ow!" I shouted, rubbing my face. Peach, turning pink as I felt it. "What the hell was that for?"

"Argh!" Gazzy exclaimed. "Her first word was wasted on YOU!"

"That's not nice." I held out my arms. Gazzy pinched the inside of my wrist before Nick was placed in my arms. I straddled her on my knee and bounced her up and down, my long fingers wrapping all the way around her chest. Blue and black and a little pink flower. I put my hand on the top of her head.

"Her hair's getting darker," I observed. When she was born it had been the color of gold wire. Every day it got blacker. "Tell me again what color her eyes are."

The couch crinkled as Max leaned forward to stared into Nick's eyes. A wisp of her hair brushed my finger. Straw. "Blue, but getting darker every day," she said. The couch crinkled as she sat back again. "At this rate she won't look anything like me at all when she's grown," she complained. "She'll just look like Fang."

"Hmm?" Fang called from the kitchen, where he was spending quality time with Nudge and Angel. (Or at least that's his story. To this day I still think he was trying to figure out the toaster.) "Did you say my name, babe?"

I ignored Gazzy's exaggeratedly loud grimace with blechh side affects. "You just missed Nick's first word, Fnick," I informed him. "I think I get your daddy cards for the day."

Fang prowled to the edge of the kitchen and looked around the doorframe. "Wait, what?" he asked. Surprise ran through his dark voice. "You're screwing with me, right?"

"Nope." I laughed loudly.

Then I was interrupted when another hand flashed forward and met my cheek. Olive. I yelled at Fang, nearly dropping Nick on her head.

"God dammit!" I yelled at him. "What the f-"

"My daddy cards are MINE!" he yelled back at me. "You can't have them!"

There was silence for a moment in the room. Fang and I were breathing heavily. Nick was sucking on her fist; slobber ran over my arm. Ew, clear, weird. I slowly started bouncing her again.

"What was it?" Fang asked after a moment.

"Uncle," I muttered. I aimed my face at Nick's back, not wanting him to think I was still mad - submissive was more like it. Fang was still, after all these years, the alpha male.

"But she doesn't -" Fang stopped short. I could feel his gaze burning my head. "You," he rasped. "You little shit."

"Sorry!" I said. Nick giggled.

"Let's get him," Gazzy growled. A soft rubbing sound followed - him mashing his fist into his hand. I sunk my head down into my shoulders, shielding myself behind Nick, who was extremely enjoying her fists. She chewed and laughed at us, and then said, "Un-kul." This amused her even more, and she giggled again before returning to her fist.

"He's pissed," Max called from behind Fang.

"I can tell - he's breathing like a racehorse." My fingers tightened around Nick's chubby tummy.

"Daddy!" Nick said suddenly, raising her arms.

God, I wish I could have seen Fang's face just then. Next thing I knew, Fang's hands were wrapped over mine - olive again - and Nick was lifted off my lap. Fang started making extremely uncharacteristic cooing noises. "Yeah, you know who's the boss," he murmured to his daughter. Nick giggled.

I wiped the remains of her slobber on my pants. Khaki. The clear feeling was giving me goosebumps.

Ignoring Fang's odd noises coming from above me, I stood up and made my way to the kitchen. Nudge and Angel were doing a puzzle, by the sound of it. I yanked out a chair and settled down next to them.

"Hey, Iggy," Nudge said absently. I reached over to the puzzle and felt inside the cavity to figure out what the piece was shaped like. Then I picked up each piece and fingered the edges until I found the right one. I fitted it neatly into the edge.

"You're so good at puzzles, Iggy," said Nudge. "Probably the best out of all of us."

I sighed and slumped into my hands. "Well, that seems to be about all I'm good for."

"What?" Nudge said, sounding much more interested now. "That's not true, Iggy!"

Angel, who was now ten, climbed into my lap. Pink dress, dark red leggings. Jeez, she was getting heavy. "I still love you, Iggy," she told me, putting her arms around me and giving me a kiss on the cheek. Blond wisps of hair brushed my nose. Pink lips against feathery stubble.

"Thanks."

"So are you two an item now?" Nudge asked, interested.

"Iggy, you're such a pedo." Gazzy clomped into the room, bringing resentment and frustration with him. "Jesus Christ. You can't even breathe in there. God, Max and Fang are so...different now. I mean, Nick is adorable and everything, don't get me wrong, but...sometimes I wish she'd never been born."

"It's not that," I mumbled. "I want the old Fang back. The guy who wasn't such a...such a..."

"Typical family man," Nudge sighed. Angel hugged me tighter. Her skin was a soft white, like buttermilk. And in case you were wondering, we were NOT an item. She was just comforting me.

I slumped farther into my hands. "I just..."

Okay, I'm gonna make a confession. I was jealous of Fang. Not because of Max - no, well, not in that sense. I was jealous of Fang because he had a little baby girl like Nick. And I'd never have any children.

"I just wish..." I sighed. "I wish that the rest of the flock had a soul mate made for them as perfectly as Max and Fang are made for each other. You know?"

"Yeah, I know," Gazzy said sadly. Wistfully. Which surprised me, seeing as he was only twelve.

We sat there gloomily, listening to the sounds of family coming from the living room.

* * *

NickPOV

So that's how I ended up here. At my aunt's.

Holly's awesome. So is her son. Her son's dad, I hadn't met yet. I just had just got there earlier that day.

Dr. Martinez sent me here. Apparently Holly and her had been in touch for a while. I guess she heard about Dr. Martinez through CSM. Anyway, before her husband's career had really kicked off, she and her son and her husband had been living paycheck to paycheck and Dr. Martinez helped them out occasionally.

When I first turned up earlier, Holly had been talking to someone on the phone. She'd opened the door, looking over her shoulder, laughing. Then she said goodbye and hung up.

That's when she looked at me. Her eyes opened wide, and her mouth formed an "O". Her hand flew to her mouth.

"Valencia told me someone was coming," she said. "But...oh, my goodness..."

My face crumpled. Aside from the fact that she had blond hair and big blue eyes, Holly looked just like Dad. She had his same high cheekbones and thin, pointed chin. Her nose was perfectly angular, just like his, and her eyes were almond shaped. Her skin was olive toned, and her hair was blond. She had thick, long lashes, and her mouth was thin and wide. Just like Dad's.

I pulled myself together before I could start crying. Holly ushered me inside their apartment quickly. The sounds of a TV came from a room around the corner, and Holly lead me into the room, where an older boy was sitting on a couch, drinking from an aluminum can of soda. He twisted around at the sound of our footsteps and raised his eyebrows at Holly.

"Who's this?"

"Nick," I said before she could. "I'm Max and Fang's...daughter."

He crossed his eyes. "Who are they?"

"She's your cousin." Holly gestured for me to sit down. Since there was only one other chair, and Holly sat in it, I sat on the small couch as far away from the guy as I could get.

He took another drink of his soda.

"Cor?" Holly raised her eyebrows.

"Oh, right." The dude set down his soda on the floor. "Want a La Croix?" he offered.

The couch was slippery, I discovered, pushing myself away from the cavity the guy's weight made. He glanced at me, daring. I pushed myself away again.

Holly's eyes twitched. The guy looked at her. Then he laughed. "Right. I'm Corbin Seymour...but call me Cor. Or your nose," he flexed his bicep, "gets some of this."

Holly laughed as I tensed. "I could take you in a second," I informed him. But Cor just laughed again. I had slipped down so that our legs were touching without noticing, and I pushed myself away again.

"So how about the soda?"

I accepted his offer and he disappeared in the kitchenette area. Holly looked at me. "So how's Fang?" she asked.

I sighed, feeling the now-familiar throbbing around my eyes. "Well...he's kind of pushing up daisies." I gave her an extremely weak smile that quickly turned into an extremely watery one.

She put her hand to her mouth.

"Their expiration dates all showed up," I said. Then I realized something. "Wait...you're Dad's twin, right?"

The same thing occurred to her at the same moment. She knelt on the floor, pulling aside her long hair. I checked the back of her neck, finding it smooth and clear.

"Hey..." Cor said, walking back into the room with a soda in each hand. He sat down heavily on the couch, looked down, and realized he already had a soda. He shrugged and put down the new one, picking up his half-drunk one and resumed watching the TV. I glanced at it as I made my way back to my seat. Basketball.

"You play?" he asked me.

"I could kick your ass." I flashed him a grin. He laughed so hard he nearly spilled his drink.

"Sure, punk. In your dreams. You're what, twelve?"

"Fourteen," I said defensively, slipping towards him again. I pushed away for the fourth time.

"That makes me seventeen." He laughed. "Here." He tossed me the other La Croix and I popped the top. Putting the metal to my lips, I guzzled, like, over half of the soda in one go.

"Someone's a professional," Cor joked.

"What? I grew up with a dude named the Gasman." I wiped my other lip defensively. "It figures that he'd drink a lot of soda. Oh, wait, here it comes."

I opened my mouth and let out a belch that lasted at least ten seconds. Cor and Holly applauded.

"You're pretty impressive," Cor said. "Okay, you can officially join the Seymour family."

"That was only okay for me," I said. "I've done twice as long. Just give me a minute to recharge." I swirled the soda around in the can.

"Hand me that, Cor, will ya?" Holly asked, holding out her hand for the extra soda. Cor tossed her the can, turned to me, grinning, and said, "Watch and learn, young grasshopper."

Holly popped the top and drank for a long time. Then she smiled and said, "Get ready."

Then she opened her mouth.

The belch that issued from it was Uncle Iggy worthy.

I took a deep breath and forced a huge smile. Cor cracked up. "Okay, top that!" he howled.

"You're on." I downed the rest of my can. Then I grinned, winked, and summoned forth my power.

I was about ten seconds in before I heard it.

"Now who is this lovely young civilized lady?"

"Hey, babe," Holly said cheerfully, while Cor saluted him and said, "Dad."

I cut off my belch abruptly, turning around to see a man who looked very familiar. He jumped when I looked at him.

"Well, *that's* a face I haven't seen in a while," he said slowly. He looked at Holly's shining face. "His?"

She nodded. "He's dead."

"Well." The man stepped back and studied my face. "Well, she looks just like her old man!" he said cheerfully. Then he stuck out his hand. "Jordan Seymour, at your service!"

I barely contained a scream and leaped away from him. The tears burst out of my eyes then, an uncontrollable waterfall that spilled and splashed down my face.

Jordan Seymour. Now that's a name I knew very well. It was tied to my childhood, weaving in and out of my memories like a tapestry thread. Both Angel and Nudge were unbelievably obsessed with him. I remember walking into Angel's room more than once and seeing his face staring down at me from every available surface. On iTunes, if you sorted songs by "Most Plays," then Jordan's songs were always in the lead by at least five hundred. We regularly had dance parties with his songs throbbing through the house while Mama, Dad and Uncle Iggy went to the club and Gaz pretended he was cool enough to go with them. I knew the lyrics to every one of his songs probably better than he did himself, and the choreography to every single one of his music videos by heart. But Dad hated him with a passion that ran through his veins like fire. Even after the accident, when he could no longer scream at us for singing Jordan Seymour until two in the morning, even the look in his eyes when he stormed out in the middle of the night had me diving under my covers. That is, until Uncle Ig stomped out and said that Dad couldn't complain, seeing as he and Mama's romping under the sheets was keeping *him* up. That was usually when Dad's fist laid Uncle Ig on the floor and he stormed back to bed.

So yeah.

Jordan was at my side in just a second. "What's wrong?" he murmured. "Seriously. That was the best reaction I've seen yet." He held out his hand, and I took it gratefully.

"Sorry," I said, swiping my eyes. "There's a lot of memories tied to that name...we had two major fangirls in my house growing up...I think I know your songs better than you do."

Cor threw his head back and laughed. He laughed so hard that tears ran out of his eyes. He set down his soda, panting, and wiped his eyes. "God!" he gasped. "That was even better than Iona's reaction... Right?"

"Iona is a major fan," Holly said wryly. "The first girl Cor brought home. She had a near seizure when she saw Jordan."

I laughed. "It'll definitely take some getting used to."

"So," said Holly, getting up, "how does dinner sound?"

**!**

Cor and I sat in the living room, watching the game, while Holly and Jordan made dinner. Cor took a swig of his La Croix and commented, "So we're cousins, then."

"Guess so," I commented back. Our eyes never strayed from the TV.

He sighed and set down his soda. "So how long are ya gonna be here for?" he asked.

"I don't know. I...I guess I'm an orphan now." Oh, dammit. That was the first time that thought crossed my mind. *I'm an orphan.* I took another sip of my soda, disguising my traitorous tears yet again.

"So you'll be going to school then."

"I suppose." I'd been home schooled until now. Mama and Dad didn't think it was a good idea for me to come to school, what with the wings, and everything. Speaking of...

"Do you have them?"

He glanced at me. "Have what?"

"You know." I relaxed my wings, allowing the tension to flow out. "Wings."

He laughed. "Oh, yeah, those. Yeah, I have them. Mom does as well, but not Dad. You?"

"Yep. Both my parents had them. My dad...is your mom's...twin brother." It took me a moment to figure out what order to put the words in.

"Oh, right. That dude. Fang, right? And unless he was gay, your mom's name is Max, right?"

"Yeah. I was born when she was seventeen. Oops." I giggled.

"Mom was fourteen when she had me," Cor said, his eyes focused intently on the screen. He was as serious as I'd ever seen him. I gulped. "For an experiment. They wanted to see if she would have a live birth or lay eggs. And they also wanted to see if I would have wings if my father was human. I did, but they didn't know that. I brought my parents together and they eventually fell in love and got married when I was twelve."

I didn't say anything for a little while. Fourteen. Jesus Christ.

"Anyway, you'll like my school," he said. "I'm a junior. You'll be a freshman, right? Yeah. It's pretty big, but if anyone gives you any trouble, just say you're my cousin. They won't bother you after that. The last name Seymour gets a lot of respect up there."

"I don't think there will be anything that a high school human can do to me," I told him. "But thanks for the offer."

"Anyway, I reckon you can start Monday," he told me.

"Wait. What? What's today?"

"What's today? Wednesday. Don't worry, I'll bring it up at dinner." He grinned. Then he clapped my shoulder and stood, walking out of the room.

I sighed, watching him go. He was wearing a loose white shirt with ripped off sleeves, long, loose basketball shorts, and huge red and white basketball shoes. He had thick wrists and ankles and he was sure built like a brick. I wondered how hard he worked out. He had shaggy, shaggy hair, thick on top and thinning once it got to his shoulders, cut just like his dad's. He didn't have any piercings, thank God. His parents thought they were cool, obviously, since Jordan had eight or nine. But Cor's skin was smooth. He looked a lot like his dad, but he had his mom's light ice blue eyes and slightly pointier features.

I sighed, drank the rest of my soda, and followed him into the kitchen.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Sorry, guys, time got away from me ): But here is Chapter 3!**

**I have pink hair :D School starts tomorrow D: hahaha that was really random.**

* * *

NudgePOV

Nick's first birthday was a huge affair. Iggy made her a big cake, and we all sang "Happy Birthday" to her while she sat there and laughed. Then Angel blew the candles out for her, and she reached out, before Iggy could get his knife and cut it, and grabbed a fistful of frosting, giggling.

"Nick...!" Fang said warningly. Nick giggled some more and threw the frosting with surprising accuracy. It soared right onto Fang's olive-toned face, covering the whole thing with icing.

Fang blinked a few times. The frosting coated his eyelashes, his nose, his mouth. He stuck out his tongue and tasted some. Gaz roared with laughter.

"Truly, Iggy's finest," Fang said softly. "Well, I think you can officially call her your niece, bro. No one but a relative of Iggy's would pie her dad on her first birthday."

He turned and stomped off to the bathroom. Angel and I were cracking up behind Max's back. She turned and smiled at us.

"Well, certainly an eventful day," she told us. "I think Nick set the bar for this one. Everyone dig in."

Max reached in and grabbed another handful of cake. Her fingers curved into it without trouble, pulling out a crumbly piece. Then she lifted it to her mouth, scraping it off her fingers with her teeth.

I reached out as well. The frosting was smooth and cool and thick. It sank under my nails when I plunged my hand in. Next my hand met the soft, spongy yellow cake, a perfect balance of wet and dry. My nails hit the plate next, and I pulled forward slowly, savoring the feeling of the tiny cake molecules breaking apart. I shoved the entire thing in my mouth at once, leaving my fingers in as well.

"Mmmmmmmm..." I groaned in ecstasy. "Oh, my God. This cake is the *best,*" I said around the huge mouthful. "Iggy, you're a gift from God. I swear. So good. How do you do it?"

Iggy blushed under his chef's hat. Oh yeah, he was still wearing his hat and apron, I forgot to tell you. "Practice?" he guessed. He lumbered forward and took a chunk out of his cake, followed by Angel.

"This is so good, Iggy," she told him, blinding him with her dazzling little smile. It was lost on him. Gazzy smiled deviously.

"No-" Max panicked.

Too late. Gaz's cheese had already been cut. I did the first thing that came to my mind: I grabbed a handful of cake and shoved it up my nose. Immediately, the sweet, sugary scent of the cake filled my nose. But just for an instant, before it stopped up my breathing. Max scooped up Nick and buried her head in Nick's thin hair, clapping her hand over Nick's nostrils. Nick gave a startled cry. Iggy also shoved cake in his face, just as Fang came back.

"I knew I was rocking that look," he began, "but I didn't ask for you guys to-"

The smell hit his nose then, and he doubled over in anguish. "No, Gazzy, please," he begged. "Don't. Please, just..." He choked and dashed out of the house with a cry of...what? Pain? Torture? Agony? Hard to tell.

Max ran out after him. All desire to leave the room fled with her.

"You can clear a room, at least," Iggy grumbled, his voice sounding nasal with the cake in his nose.

"Ha ha, Nudge has a beard," Gazzy said, laughing and pointing at me. I scowled at him.

"Thanks, jerk."

He sniggered. "Seriously. Actually, you look like you're about to shave."

"Well, let's give you some practice," I said, wiping most of the cake off of my face. I lunged at him, wiping the frosting on his ruddy cheek. He roared at me.

"AARGH!" he said, making a dinosaur face. He stuck out his lower lip with his mouth wide, flared his nostrils, and curled his tongue. Then he scraped the cake off of his face and popped it in his mouth.

"Gazzy, you looked just like a dinosaur! Wow, that was a great face! Actually, you looked like a six year old who was roaring at their big sister! But also like a dinosaur! And you also looked like Gazzy! Cause that's who you are! Just like I'm Nudge and Iggy's Iggy! And Angel's Angel! And Max and Fang are Max and Fang! And Nick's Nick! But it's hard to tell who Nick is yet, seeing as she's only one! Wow! Can you believe that it's February 23 and Nick is one already? Man, it seems like just yesterday that she was born! It seems like just yesterday that -"

"We still had Fang," Iggy muttered.

I was quiet, scolding myself inside. *Jeez, Nudge, just turn off the noise! Come on!*

Then what Iggy said sunk in. I deflated. Angel pulled her face out of the carpet, where she had buried it to escape the stench. She had a little piece of fuzz stuck to her lip.

"Why do you keep saying that?" she asked him.

He scowled. "Cuz it's true. Fang is so different now."

"We had this discussion a few months ago," Gazzy said. He looked like he was about to cry. "Can we please just drop it?"

I grabbed a tissue and blew the frosting out of my nose, wiping the rest of my face off. "Come on, Iggy. Let's stay away from depression for a while."

"Depression? This is a party!"

The happy family was back. I turned at the sound of Fang's voice to see Nick on his hip and Max in his shadow. He grinned and turned invisible, leaving Nick straddled on nothing. Max poked him, and he shimmered into view, frowning at her.

"Come on. I'm trying to lighten things up!"

He looked at us then. A tear was falling down my cheek.

"What?" he asked, and was met with silence.

* * *

NPOV

Dinner that night was a cheerful affair. Despite the fact that Holly had just gotten news of her twin brother's death, she didn't seem particularly upset. I suspected that she would be much more upset later, but judging from her character, she'd probably just stored away the news to handle later.

I watched the family interact over pasta and some salad. It was like a party with these three. Holly and Jordan acted like teenagers, and Cor was a real clown, really funny. Except I couldn't laugh. I was still so upset.

I stared into my salad.

"Not hungry?" Jordan's familiar voice floated into my brain. I jumped and looked up to see all three of them watching me. He grinned. "Don't blame ya. Tour food is better than Holly's home cooking."

"No it's not." Holly hit him with her fork. He grinned and kissed her.

"Come on," Cor complained. "You've been gone for a week, Dad. Try to be civilized."

"You're one to talk. You barely said "hi" to me when I came in!"

"I bet you got a nice hi from Mom when you guys came in to "make dinner"," Cor scowled.

I snorted into my salad. Jordan raised a pierced eyebrow at me.

"Something funny, Moocher?"

"No." I scowled at him. "Absolutely nothing, superstar."

Jordan laughed. He lifted his chin. "Eat up. Fang wouldn't have wanted you to wither away."

"You knew Mama and Dad?"

"Well, your parents...they were real hotshots. Everyone knew 'em. They were in the news for their work with CSM all the time. I definitely heard of your mom. Your dad? We met, yeah. We did not hit it off. He didn't approve of my crush on Holly."

"Oh. Well, that explains a lot."

"Like?"

"Dad hated your guts." I closed my eyes, remembering. A hard lump appeared in my throat. "Like, *really* hated."

Jordan laughed. Cor stabbed his salad, and Holy closed her eyes, tracing a scar on the side of her mouth that pulled her lips upward a little bit, like a permanent smile. It suited her.

"Well," she said, "that's all history. I never liked Max much either."

We ate silently for a moment. I chewed as quietly as I could, wincing whenever I crunched on a crouton or stalk of lettuce. A burning sensation on the side of my neck made me look up to see Cor watching me. He inclined his head, grinned, and cleared his throat.

"So I was wondering how long Nick is staying for."

Holly shook her head. "Don't know. Not like she has anywhere else to go. I mean..." She glanced uncomfortably at me.

"So is she going to go to school here?" Cor asked eagerly.

"Wow, you two are really hitting it off," Jordan laughed.

Cor frowned. "Just answer the question."

"I suppose so...You've had schooling up till now, right, Nick?" Holly asked.

"Homeschool," I answered.

"Good." Holly swallowed decisively. "So you can start Monday, right?"

"Hang on. Isn't this stuff supposed to...you know...take more time?" I asked cautiously.

"Yeah. But we just had a spring break. So I think we can squeeze you in somewhere."

I swallowed. School. A word I'd associated with complete and utter evil until now. "I reckon so," I managed finally.

Holly saw it on my face. "I know what you're thinking," she said. "I promise you, it's much different. A thousand times better. Just ask Cor."

"Wait," Cor said slowly. "Are y'all doing that little...mutant...talk thing again? Cause you know I don't do mutant talks."

"You're a mutant, too," Jordan shot back. He crossed his arms. "I'm the only normal one of the bunch of you."

He accidentally stabbed Holly in the arm with the fork in his hand. Holly frowned and pushed the fork away.

"I can fix that," she said. "I can make you mutated very quickly."

"I believe you," he said quickly. He looked at me and winked.

Next thing we knew, the whole table flew sideways. Holly tackled Jordan and they landed on the floor. Cor jumped up and started cheering them on. I laughed.

Holly and Jordan rolled around on the floor. Wait - get your mind out of the gutter! Holly drew back her fist and punched him square in the eye. Then she jumped away, fell over the table, and got all tangled in the tablecloth.

Jordan rose slowly, grinning. He stepped over the edge of the table, raising his foot to stomp on her chest. He lifted it higher and higher. A low chuckle came from Holly.

"Mistake one," she said, and her hand shot out. Jordan's foot was yanked upward by an invisible force and he did a backflip in the air, landing on his chest with an *oof*. He rolled over onto his back, breathing heavily and groaning.

"I'm getting too old for this," he moaned.

"You're thirty two," she said. "You're not too old for anything." She clambered out of the mess she'd made of the table, kneeling by his side. She was leaning down for a kiss when the doorbell rang.

"Shoot - that's Nifty. Cor, Nick, you two go get the door while I get this cleaned up." Holly jumped up and held out her hands, but before I could see what she was doing, Cor had tugged me down the hall.

"Come on. Best to leave them to it," he said vaguely, pulling the door open.

"Cor!"

We were greeted by a man and a woman standing eagerly on the stoop. The woman had brown hair and yellowish eyes, and every piece of skin that was showing was covered in freckles. She was wearing a brown jacket and dark jeans with boots, and her fluffy auburn hair was covered carefully with a small black cap. One arm was held forward eagerly toward Cor for an embrace, and the other was - was -

"Hey, Nifty," Cor said affably, sliding his arms around her torso, carefully avoiding the stump on her left side where her jacket sleeve was tied in a neat little knot. "Rex, my man," he said, letting go of the woman and raising his fist to the guy. "What's up?" he asked, as the guy raised his own glimmering fist to Cor's.

"Nothing much," said the guy. He had navy blue hair, cut in a way that made it all seem like it was slid over to the side, spiking up over the right side of his face. Stray bangs fell over his smooth forehead, which was marred by two thin black horizontal lines. He was wearing greenish blue glasses, and his eyes behind them were wide and colorless, with almost no pupils. His lips were also thin, and his cheekbones and neck were covered with what seemed to be scales, sliding up the sides and fading out. The top of his forearms also were coated with these blue-green scales, and so were his shins.

"Oh, who's this?" asked the woman, Nifty, peering at me. "Your girlfriend?"

My face twisted in disgust. "Ew, no. We're cousins."

"Cousins?" said the guy, Rex. He looked surprised. "On your dad's side?"

"No, on my mom's," said Cor cheerfully, ignoring their shocked faces. He stood back, and the other two walked in, giving me a quick once-over before letting me fade into the background.

"Alright, guys," Cor said, shutting the door carefully behind him. "Coast is clear."

"Oh, thank God," said Rex, and suddenly there were two more arms, which sprouted from underneath his normal ones. These were also coated with scales, and he linked his slightly webbed fingers together and popped the joints in his fingers in relief while his other two hands pushed his bangs out of his face. The two horizontal lines seemed to open, and two more eyes blinked back at me. "I was cramped up all day."

"That's not true, and you know it," said Nifty. She pulled off her cap, and two little cat ears were revealed amid the fluffy brown hair. "We've only been out for a while."

"Whatever." Rex waved his hand. "You're going to have to help your cousin pick her jaw up off the ground," he said. "Where's Holly?"

I closed my mouth with a snap.

"In the dining room," Cor said. As they turned, I saw a furry tail waving eagerly behind Nifty.

We followed the two additions into the dining room. There were happy cries of "Nifty!" and "Rex!", but we ignored that and headed for the kitchen, letting the happy adults embrace behind us. Cor pulled me in the kitchen and faced me.

"Who're they?"

"Mom's friends from awhile back. Look, can you keep a secret?"

His face was solemn, but his eyes were twinkling. I nodded slowly, wondering what he was getting at.

"Alright. Hang on." He whirled around and yanked open the fridge with one deft movement, sliding out a big tub of ice cream. He flipped me a spoon off of the tip of his finger, and I caught it and looked at him in confusion.

"What's the secret?"

"That we're eating this ice cream before Mom gets to it." Cor smiled and popped the lid off of the tub. "Go on, try it!"

I stared at the smooth and unmarred surface of the brown ice cream before shrugging and sticking my spoon in, carving away at the sweet contents. I paused with the spoon halfway to my mouth. "What flavor is it?"

"Try it, try it." He flapped his hand impatiently at me, so I hesitantly folded my lips around the spoon and sucked the ice cream off. I glanced at him, waiting for the dirty joke that I was sure was coming. But then I stopped and looked down at the spoon.

"Well?" he demanded.

"Ishh goud," I mumbled in surprise.

He laughed and plunged his spoon in, shoveling the ice cream into his mouth. "I know, right?" he exclaimed. "It's so good, so awesome -"

"Whenever the word awesome comes out of your mouth, I can safely assume you're talking about me, right?" said a strict voice from the door, and we both froze. I swiveled to see Holly standing in the doorway with her arms folded.

"Uh...hi, Mommy Dearest," Cor said weakly.

"You're not eating that without me, are you?" she said, and Cor shook his head frantically. Behind his back, he tossed his spoon in the sink, and it hit the metal bowl with a loud clatter.

"Doesn't matter. We'll have some in a bit," Holly said. "Get your butt out to the front hall. Leo, Atalanta, and Rudy are here."

Cor brightened up immediately at the names, none of which I recognized, and grabbed my hand, pulling me out and tossing a 'Thanks!' over his shoulder to his mom. I tripped along after him and yanked my hand from his grasp. He didn't seem to notice, and instead made a fantastic jump-stop in front of a man, whose hand he shook enthusiastically.

"Leo my man!"

I followed behind, stopping in the doorway and taking in the scene. There were three people cluttering the door who I'd never seen before. One was a man who, if I didn't know better, I would say had big fluffy brown hair - that is, if I didn't know better. But looking over him with a finer eye, I could see that he had two small little ears poking from the top of his head sharp canines emerging from his gums, and a thick tail with a little puff at the end - a lion hybrid. Another was an Asian woman, with long, shiny black hair a kind looking face. She would be absolutely gorgeous if not for the horrible white scars marring her throat, crossing back and forth over her neck, so it looked like she had had more surgeries than could possibly be healthy. The last one, the one Cor was greeting, was thin with dark red hair, and violet eyes. The creepy part? He had no mouth.

Cor paused, and the guy - Leo - reached up with his hand and let his fingertips rest on Cor's cheek. Cor paused for a moment, like he was listening to something, then his face broke out in a grin.

"You are awesome," he told Leo, and his eyes crinkled up in a happy sort of way.

"Hey, man," said the lion-guy, clapping his huge, paw-like hand on Cor's shoulder. "How's it going?"

"Hey, Rudy! It's all good," Cor said.

"Is that your girlfriend?" Rudy asked, pointing at me. "Wait - she's human, isn't she? Crap..."

"I'm not his girlfriend, and I'm not human," I said crossly, folding my arms. "We're cousins. And my parents were both avian hybrids. I have wings."

"Well, then," said the woman - Atalanta -, grinning. Despite her marred throat, she had the most beautiful voice I'd ever heard in my life. Like if she told me to do anything, anything at all, I'd do it. I'd jump off a cliff. I'd ride a barrel off of Niagara Falls. I'd eat a pound of chocolate without stopping.

I might do that anyways, but whatever.

Just then Rex and Nifty came out of the kitchen, Nifty stopped still when she saw Rudy. A big grin slipped over her face, and she almost ran over and leaped into his arms. He landed a big kiss right on her mouth.

"Hey! I didn't know you guys were coming over!" he said.

"Yeah, we just popped by. Didn't know you were coming over, now we'll have to stay a little while," Nifty teased.

"Well, I came by to see Jordan, he's been gone a while you know."

"So have you." Nifty reprimanded him with a few taps on his nose. "You should have come home first."

Leo rolled his eyes and brushed his hand against Nifty's cheek. She broke away from Rudy and put her hand on her hip. "Don't you 'mom' me," she said. After another light touch, she added, "I know I'm your mother, I've been your mother for seventeen years."

All of them slowly migrated into the kitchen, where Holly brought out the giant tub of ice cream. Spoons were passed out, and everyone dug straight into the bucket, not bothering with bowls or anything civilized like that. I hung back, but Cor grabbed my hand and pushed me into the center, right between Atalanta and Rex.

I was still confused about a lot of things. Like, what was up with Leo? Could he transmit thoughts through his hand somehow? I glanced at him - he was sitting on the table, not eating. Could he eat? Was it even possible? What on earth did he live on then? I glanced at Atalanta. What was up with her? She must have some sort of mutation. She looked a little younger than Holly, maybe like 25. Rudy looked like he was Holly's age, and Leo was about the same age as Cor. I also wanted to know where these people had all come from. The School? Or somewhere else? How had they all met? How did it all connect to me, the flock, and the expiration dates?

As I looked around at all the people laughing and talking (and in the case of some, kissing), I shook my head and stowed those thoughts away. I let my wings settle loosely on top of my shirt, surrounded by all those mutants, when I saw Holly's white wings with the black pepper spots, and Cor's gray wings out as well.

For the first time since my parents had died, I felt like maybe it wasn't all over for me as well.

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**Review if you love Jenna Marbles**


	4. Chapter 4

**I'm sorry this is short. I have a head start on the next chapter so be expecting that soon. **

**As a little note: WTF? Did anyone here read _Nevermore_ yet? !**

**If you have, let me know. It was CRAZY!**

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AngelPOV

It was around Christmas after Nick's first birthday that I heard it for the first time.

"Max? Where's Iggy?" I asked Max, who was washing dishes.

"Um...upstairs with Fang somewhere." She waved her hand, spewing soap everywhere. I wiped some from under my eye and headed upstairs, listening for Iggy's thoughts.

When I got to the top of the stairs, I saw Iggy usher Fang into the game room. He closed the door.

[...now he's gonna get it...] Iggy was sure mad about _something_. Now I was curious.

I tiptoed down the hall and crouched outside the room as Iggy and Fang sat down. Fang was confused. Iggy was furious.

"So what did you want to talk to me about?" Fang said when Iggy didn't say anything.

"You know," Iggy growled quietly. I pressed my ear harder against the door.

"No, I don't."

The couch crinkled. I imagined Iggy lounging on it and then leaning forward; Fang leaning on the TV in his typical fashion. "Okay, I guess I'll spell it out for you. *Who are you and what have you done with Fang?*"

Gazzy appeared at the end of the hall. He looked at me, confused, and was about to open his mouth when I put my finger over my lips. I felt out with my mind, hitting Iggy and Fang's before bumping Gazzy's. I sent him a message.

[Iggy and Fang are arguing.]

[I wanna hear,] he thought, scurrying over. He crouched next to the door as well, pressing his ear to the door next to me. [I feel like a spy.]

[Sh.]

[I can think if I want to,] he grumbled in his mind before I tuned him out.

"What are you talking about?" Fang asked back in the room.

"Grow a pear, Fang! Are you blind too?!" Iggy yelled at Fang. "What the hell have you been taking? You're a whole different person. And I'll bear witness. Since Nick was born, you've become a completely OTHER dude. I have no idea who you are anymore! I've walked in on Nudge and Angel crying multiple times because of it! You're so caught up in your new little family that you've forgotten about the rest of us!"

My lip trembled. Gazzy leaned even harder into the door, causing it to creak a little. We both froze, but Iggy and Fang were so caught up in their argument that they didn't notice.

"I didn't notice, Ig," Fang said softly. "I'm sorry."

"That's the _point,_" Iggy snarled. "You didn't notice. What else didn't you notice? Hm. You didn't notice that Max has been checking out as well. I've had to take care of the flock for the last six months. When they're crying, or they have nightmares, it's me they run to me. That's not my job! It's Max's! But both of you have been so caught up in your new little squealing bundle of joy that you just don't care!"

His voice cracked on the last sentence. I looked through Fang's eyes and saw that Iggy was actually crying. Fang was frozen with shock.

"Jesus, Iggy," he said. "Dude, you gotta tell me stuff like this. Don't keep it all bottled up, man. Come on."

"You're even talking differently!" Iggy said. "Something has GOT to change. Or else...I don't know! But it's gonna be bad!"

There were loud, heavy footsteps. Before we could react, the door was yanked open, and Gazzy and I fell into the room.

"Oops," Gazzy said, summing it up pretty nicely.

Iggy stomped accurately over Gazzy and made his way angrily back down the hall, disappearing around the corner. Fang glanced down at us, and my heart started hammering. Before he could ask for a confirmation of Iggy's accusations, I snatched up the collar of Gazzy's shirt, said "Nice weather today, huh?" and dragged my brother down the hall, leaving Fang with lost, confused, and conflicting thoughts swirling around in a stormcloud in his mind.

* * *

NPOV

Okay, it was official. The number one most irritating noise in the world was the sound of a squeaky wheel on a shopping cart.

"Ugh, how can you stand that noise?" I asked Holly as she pushed the metal cart along the linoleum floors in the Target store we were shopping in. She glanced at me with a grin and jerked the cart back and forth so that it emitted the most agonizing sound yet. I pressed my hands on my ears and grimaced.

"You're horrible."

"And yet you love me anyway," she murmured, gazing thoughtfully at the isles. "Let's see. School and office supplies...school and office supplies...ah, here we are. Check this, Nick. There are so many different planners! It's awesome!" She held up a spiral-bound notebook with pink and brown flowers spilling across it. "Don't you just want to buy everything in this whole store?"

"No." I crossed my arms and frowned. I was not the biggest fan of shopping ever.

"Well, you do need to get some stuff, so...ooh, those pens! Hang on." Holly reached out absentmindedly and beckoned in the direction of the pen package she had seen. The pens slid from the rack and zoomed into her hand, and she dumped them into the cart, not seeming to see my boggling stare.

"Okay. Colored pens. Now you need pencils, a couple of binders, a composition notebook, dividers, filler paper..." Holly moved down the isles, tapping her lips with her finger. Occasionally she would actually reach down and grab a packet of something, but she would mostly just wiggle her fingers or beckon with her hand and let the item zoom to her.

"Is that, like, some kind of mutation or something?" I asked her finally.

She looked at me. "What? The telekinesis?" She laughed and raised her hand at me, beckoning to me. A huge force appeared behind my back, dragging my feet in a very ungainly matter towards her, sliding over the linoleum as I zoomed toward her body. At the last second she lowered her hand, and I almost fell over.

"Yeah," I gasped, "that."

"Yes, it is," she said, giggling. "It's really handy, too. "

"When did that develop?" I asked her.

She tapped her chin with her finger again. "Um...I'd probably just gotten pregnant with Cor, although I didn't know it yet. I didn't really use it at first, but after a little while I started practicing more. And voila! Here we are." She grinned and then picked up a blue binder, dumping it in.

"And I guess that Leo, Atalanta, and Rudy are also former subjects," I mused.

"Yes. Rudy is a lion-human hybrid, but Leo and Atalanta are both Gen. 77 kids. Atalanta had her vocal cords experimented on when she was eight; her singing voice could hypnotize anyone to do as she wanted. She could make a man who was being burned at the stake believe he was swimming in cool water. That's how she got out; she hypnotized the whitecoats into opening her door and then freed everyone else as well."

"What about Leo?" I asked.

"Nifty found Leo when he was a baby, back at the Institute." Holly sighed. "I know you noticed he has no mouth. He uses photosynthesis to digest light, and he does not need to eat or drink. By touching someone with his hand, he is able to share his thoughts, which is how he communicates. When Cor was born, Nifty decided to change his name to Leo - it had been Cory before, and she thought it would get confusing."

I nodded. "So, uh...are we done shopping yet?"

She giggled. "Do you have clothes?" she asked.

"Yes," I emphasized. "I have plenty of clothes."

"Good." Straightening, she began to wheel the cart back to the checkout, chatting animatedly. But suddenly she stopped, cutting herself off in the middle of a sentence as she stared at nothing, a horrified expression on her face.

"What's wrong?" I asked, confused

"Forced expiration dates," she breathed.

I was still confused. "What?"

She looked at me. Her blue eyes were round, terrified. "That's how your parents died," she breathed. "Forced expiration dates."

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**O.o**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Well, hello there, fandom! Eheheh….it's been a while, hasn't it?**

**Welp, I'm back, and I hope there won't be this big of a gap again for a while…sorry about that, guys. But, I do think you'll enjoy this, so read ahead.**

* * *

FPOV

"Sing a song of sixpence, a pocket full of rye. Four and twenty blackbirds baked in a pie."

Nick giggled and kicked her still-chubby one-and-a-half-year-old baby legs. My hands quickly wrapped the fresh diaper around her fleshy waist with expertise that scared me a little bit.

"When the pie was opened, the birds began to sing. Wasn't that a lovely dish to set before the king?"

I couldn't help smiling a little myself as I pulled Nick's onesie together, deftly buttoning it before reaching for her tiny shorts. Not that I'd ever sing when Max and the others were at home, but right now everyone was out grocery shopping, and would probably be gone for another hour or two, if I knew them. Which I did. So I didn't hesitate to sing one of my little girl's favorite lullabies, if you could count it a lullaby at all. I think she just liked the image.

I pulled Nick's shorts on as she kicked impatiently. It'd been two weeks since Ig had confronted me about ...whatever that had been about. Since then, I'd tried to be more aware of what he'd accused me of, and found with a sinking feeling that he'd been right.

Setting my daughter on her feet, I watched her squeal and pitter-patter to the kitchen, no doubt on the warpath for a snack. I followed, shaking my head. It was all like that stupid lullaby. Seemed nice and playful on the outside, but really it was about the Black Plague and everyone was dropping dead. Or maybe that was 'Ring around the Rosie' and the blackbird one was about pirates. I sighed. Maybe I was too much of a dad, getting my lullabies mixed up.

"Daddy! Come!" I heard from the kitchen, so I picked up the pace. Nick was in front of the fridge, stretching to reach the handle. She looked back at me, her face distressed. Too sad for something so small as not being able to open the fridge. She opened her mouth, the new pearly teeth that she'd spent the last year growing poking from her gums, but before she could speak I scooped her up.

"I gotcha. Just wait a few years." I set her on one hip, balancing her there while pulling open the fridge with one hand. Reaching in, I said, "What do you want?"

She smiled, and so I played along. "Want some broccoli?" I asked, pulling open the vegetable drawer. "How about some soy sauce?" Her face was so happy as she shook her head, squealing. I reached for the drawer that was off-limits to everyone except Iggy, my fingers touching the handle.

If I opened it, he'd get so mad. He'd know somehow, with his sixth sense. Then I'd get it for sure.

Whatever.

I was about to open the drawer when the doorbell rang. It scared my pants off. I bit my tongue before I could swear in front of Nick - if she repeated it in front of Max, the multitude of trouble I'd be in was boundless - and hastily slammed the refrigerator shut. Smiling, I lifted Nick over my head and held her like she was an airplane, making zoom-zoom noises with my mouth.

"Looks like Mommy's home early! Let's go say hello!" I called up to Nick, and she giggled again. She was like that, even as a small baby. She started smiling early and didn't cry often. Instead, she communicated with laughter.

My kind of girl.

We 'flew' to the door (I have to put it in quotes, because with us and flying you never know) and I put my hand on the door and yanked it open.

There was a short silence.

"You're not Mommy," Nick said.

"No, not quite," said the person standing there. "Sorry to get your hopes up."

I remembered myself and quickly set my daughter down on the ground. But seeing her pained face had me quickly lifting her back into the air, settling her on my hip as I faced our guest.

"What are you doing here, Holly?" I demanded.

Holly pushed back her lengthy blond hair and looked me straight in the eye. "Corbin and I were passing through, and so I decided to come see you." She glared at me as if daring me to argue.

"Corbin...?" I glanced down, and for the first time noticed the little boy clinging to her leg. He had light brown hair and wide blue eyes, and looked to be about four or five. His little eyebrows were creased worriedly and his grimy fingers curled tighter around my sister's knee.

"Is he...yours?" I asked in disbelief.

"Can we come in?" she asked, and took the boy's hand. Not waiting for an answer, she pushed past me and disappeared into the hall, leaving me standing at the door with my jaw gaping in disbelief. Recovering quickly, I closed and locked the door, then followed Holly into the kitchen.

"Nice space you got here," she mused.

"You didn't answer my question."

She ignored me again and lifted the little boy into a seat at the island, handling him delicately, lovingly. Like Max handled Nick; like a mother handles her child. I frowned as she easily found a plastic cup in the dry rack and filled it with water from the fridge dispenser.

"I know you're thirsty, sweetheart. Give me one second." She padded over to Corbin and slid the cup in front of him. His fingers wrapped around the cup and he lifted it to his lips in a two-handed grip.

"Answer me!" I demanded, setting Nick down in her chair. She looked at me imploringly for a snack, but I couldn't deal with that right now. "Is that five-year-old sitting over there your son?"

"He's four."

I glared at her, and she glared right back. "What? His father's tall."

"Is he yours, or not?"

She lay her palms face up on the table and dropped her gaze into them, focusing on her fingers as she spoke. "Yes. He was born when I was fourteen."

"That was the year..." My voice trailed off. That was the year I'd met her and she'd told me who she was. I beat her up - the memory made me wince - and she'd fallen from the top of a huge tree and had to be hospitalized. Then, when she was nearly better, her and her cow-eyed follower, He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, disappeared without a trace.

(I only call him that because I'm pretty sure Max, Nudge and Angel like that big shot singer more than me. And I ain't down with that shiz.)

I hadn't heard from her since.

There was a pause. I cleared my throat and leaned on the table. "I thought you had a miscarriage."

She turned away from me. "Yeah, well, if at first you don't succeed, try, try again," she said bitterly. "We left the hospital because we got recaptured by Erasers. And while we were at the Institute, I suppose they succeeded. They added a tiny bit of Eraser hormone, so it would have been virtually impossible to have a miscarriage - plus, the gestation period was only five weeks instead of nine months. Kind of scary, isn't it?"

I frowned. Okay, so maybe I wasn't smart, but..."Is that healthy?" I asked, glancing with concern at the little boy, who was taking another big sip from the cup. He set it down carefully and wiped his lip with his sleeve in a dramatic movement.

"There was absolutely nothing healthy about the situation," Holly said quietly. "I was fourteen, Fang. I had a kid just so they could see if he had wings or not. And he does. Apparently his father's all-human genes weren't strong enough."

"Who is his father?" I asked.

"Snack, Daddy! Snack!" Nick cried just then, not liking being forgotten. Corbin looked up eagerly, his small face lighting up at the prospect of food.

"Alright, honey, I'll get you a snack." I went over to the fridge and pulled it open, sliding open the meat drawer and pulling out a transparent package. "So are you going to answer my question?"

"His dad is Jordan Seymour," Holly said quietly.

"Jordan Seymour is my daddy!" Corbin chirped. "I sawl him today. He seed me too! He sayd hello to me, and he pick'd me up and swungged me alaround the room and then he said hiy to Mommy too!"

My fingers froze around the refrigerator handle. "You married that guy?"

"I told you, it was for an experiment," Holly snapped, uncharacteristically angry.

I turned around and put up my hands. "Whoa. Cool it. I was just asking."

"We're not married," Holly said with a tremor in her voice. She turned away from me. I frowned as she added, "Probably never will be."

"So you want to get married to him?"

"I didn't come here for therapy, Fang," Holly informed me, quickly getting herself back under control.

"Then what _did_ you come here for?" I asked, returning to my original question. She hesitated, looking at the ground.

"Honestly? I came here to warn you." She turned back and looked me in the eye.

"Warn me about what?" I kept my voice carefully controlled, opening the package of meat and drawing out a slice.

"The School."

A tremor ran through my hands as I ripped up the slice of meat, setting the bits on a paper napkin for Nick. "What about it?"

"I don't know a lot about it," she confessed, laying her hands on the island and splaying her fingers out on the table. I noticed a small, sloppy-looking ring on her finger, almost like a small child had made it. "But what I've heard is that they're starting experiments with forced expiration dates."

"Forced...?"

"Basically they have an experiment, right, and when they decide they're done with it they have a computer program or something that they enter the date or whatever and it appears on the experiment's neck. And then you know what happens."

Horror rose in me. "So any day..."

"Well, that threat was already there. Now we just don't know if it will appear weeks ahead of time like it used to or if you'll just have minutes before you kick the bucket."

I walked around the table and rested my large hands on Nick's delicate shoulders as she obliviously shoved meat pieces into her mouth. "And what about the ones like Nick?"

"Luckily for you, she was never an experiment at the School, so they don't have any files for her. Neither was Cor, so he's safe as well. And Rex and Nifty erased our files when they got done with them right before they were attacked at the School and Nifty lost her arm. But you, and the rest of the flock, are all at risk. I think that they're still just testing it, but they don't have much of a range yet. That's all I know about it."

Corbin reached for the meat package and drew out a slice, putting it in his mouth along with most of his hand. He swung his sandaled feet and sang quietly to himself. Holly looked at him, her expression tormented. I opened and closed my mouth rapidly, letting the information wash over me.

Holly stood. "Right then, I'd best be off."

"Leaving so soon?" I asked her. "You should stay a while. I'm sure the others would love to meet you."

"No, I should be going," she said with a small smile. "You're always like this, Fang. Trying to get me to stay when it's better that I go."

"I don't see what's wrong with that."

She lifted Corbin down from his seat, and he stood and grabbed her hand. "Will you see me to the door?"

"Of course I will." I followed her to the entryway and she turned and gave me a quick hug.

"It was nice to see you."

"You should drop by more often," I said, holding her closer.

"We'll see. I'll try to fit -"

She would have said more, but the door swung open, silhouetting the flock. Holly sprang away from me at their shocked faces, especially Max's.

"Fang...?" Max asked.

Holly slid out the door, gripping Corbin's hand. "I'll see you around, Fang," she called.

"Wait -"

But she didn't hear me. Instead she spread her wings - that magnificent white speckled wingspan. Next to her on the ground, Cor also unfolded his own wings, which spanned four feet and were a shimmering, silvery gray shade. The two took a running start and then were up and away, circling until they were out of sight.

I watched them silently until Max stepped into my personal space and poked me in the chest. "Who was that?" she demanded.

"Who was who?" Ig asked.

"My sister Holly and her son Corbin." I stepped back and let the flock clamor into the house.

"Your sister?!" Nudge shrieked. "You have a sister?"

"Yeah, we're twins." I smirked at the expressions on their faces.

"Why was she here?" Max asked.

"She just wanted to say hi. She was in the area." For now I didn't want to tell Max about the forced expiration dates. When the rest of the flock wasn't around, maybe. And Ig. I was tired of leaving him out.

"She has a son?" Ig asked.

"Yeah. And you girls will never guess who the father is."

"Who?"

I smirked, ready to drop the bomb. "A singer by the name of Jordan Seymour."

I watched as Max, Nudge and Angel's jaws hit the floor. "No way! You're lying!" Nudge exclaimed. "Your sister is married to Jordan Seymour? NO FAIR! He's mine! I staked a claim on him a long time ago!"

I grinned again and closed the door, avoiding her question as the flock slowly flooded the kitchen, bombarding me with questions. I met Max's gaze, seeing that she didn't completely believe that Holly had only been here to say hi. But I'd tell her later.

The thought of forced expiration dates had pierced me to the core. I didn't want to think about what could happen if Holly was telling the truth. But I wasn't going to worry about that right now. If death could come at any second, then we shouldn't waste time worrying about it. It would be better just to live, and have a good time, and save your tears for later.

* * *

NPOV

The bright lights of the classroom hurt my eyes, and already I was getting a headache. I had only been here for about ten minutes and I was dying to leave.

"I see that we have a new student," the teacher said, checking her roster. "Would you please stand and introduce yourself?"

I glanced around, making sure she wasn't talking about anyone else, and instantly felt really, really stupid. I pushed my chair back with a screech, standing unwillingly.

"Um…I'm Nick Ride." That was all I had. I stared down at my desk, thinking of my mama. She would have glared around at every other student in the classroom daringly, waiting for someone to challenge her – shoulders back, head up, hair tossed. My mama radiated confidence in a new situation.

Well, I wasn't my mama.

I glanced up at the teacher again to see that she had her eyebrows raised. "Well? Tell us something about yourself."

"Okay, uh…" I fumbled and settled on the easiest thing. "I live with my cousin, Corbin. He's a junior. He goes here…"

An _Aah_ of recognition raced around the classroom, and everyone who hadn't been paying attention suddenly turned their eyes to me. I felt heat rise to my cheeks.

"Thank you," the teacher said. I sat down gingerly, embarrassed. Everyone continued to watch me, turned around in their seats as I shrunk down to the size of one of my primaries. Then, one by one, they all turned around.

I could tell that I was going to love this place.

If you all couldn't tell, I have a little problem with sarcasm.

* * *

Corbin POV

There was a new girl in my class as well, a flamboyant cheerleader-type girl. When the teacher called on her to introduce herself, she stood with a flourish and eagerly began speaking. Instantly I could see that she was as different from Nick as night and day.

"Hi! I'm Torey Murphy. I just moved here from, like, Indiana!" she announced.

"Would you tell us something about yourself?" the teacher requested.

"Ok, sure! Hmm…let's see…" She placed a finger on her chin. "Oh, I know! I, like, _love_ Jordan Seymour ~ you know, the singer? He has the voice of, like, an angel."

Everyone in the know looked at me and then we all burst out laughing. Even the teacher cracked a smile.

I stood up. "Jordan Seymour is old enough to be your dad," I said, trying hard to keep the grin off of my face.

She looked at me, clearly offended. "He's so, like, hot, though. Anyway, he's not old enough to be my dad. He's only, like, twenty nine."

"He's actually, _like,_ thirty two," I corrected. Another ripple of laughter passed through the class.

She smoothed her skirt, looking excited. "Oh my god, are you, like, a fan of his too?"

"You could say that," I smirked.

She looked confused. "What do you mean?"

"Jordan Seymour is his dad, idiot," someone called from the class. I turned and glared at the person, who was actually my friend and was friends with my dad, too.

"Thanks, moron. I was gonna tell her that."

"Whaaat? But he's way too young to have kids your age! You're lying," Torey whined.

I thumped my chest twice. "Cross my heart. Your celebrity crush is my old man. I'll pass your "voice of an angel" comment along to him. God knows his ego needs to be inflated more."

Her face turned red as she realized I was telling the truth. I wouldn't think it was that hard, because I look just like him. But some people just need a little help, I suppose.

"That's enough, Mr. Seymour. I think you've embarrassed Miss Murphy enough. Everyone settle down," the teacher called, because some people had tears of laughter running down their faces, bent over their desks in silent spasms. I sat down with a smirk.

Just a day in the life of Cor Seymour.

* * *

NPOV

"Ugh. I hate this uniform," I complained as Cor and I walked home from school. I glared down at the pressed white shirt, the pleated plaid skirt, knee-high white socks, shiny shoes. Somehow during the day, my shirt had gotten wrinkled, my skirt had gotten lopsided, one sock had slid down around my ankle, and my shoes were scuffed. Cor glanced at me, grinning, and reached over to straighten my tie. I glared and straightened his back.

"I got to admit, it's not very flattering," he commented, ducking as I attempted to smack him upside the head.

"You were supposed to disagree with me," I scolded, and he chuckled.

We were walking home from school, down a small street lined with trees blooming with flowers galore. It was kind of pretty, and despite my misgivings about school, I could feel myself beginning to accept my situation a bit more.

But then Mama's face flashed behind my eyes, and I felt the familiar ache in my throat. Instantly my optimism evaporated.

"How was your first day?" Cor asked.

"It was fine, I guess…for school." I stared up at the flowering trees, making an arc over our heads.

He gave a low laugh next to me. "I understand completely," he agreed. "Some new girl in my grade declared her love for my dad to the entire classroom. Oh, God, it was so funny. She was completely oblivious."

I cracked a smile. "I bet you enjoyed that."

"How'd you guess?" He reached up in a massive stretch, then folded his hands behind his head as we strolled companionably along. I heard a noise behind us and looked, then nudged his side.

"Move over. Car."

"Car, car, C-A-R," he chanted, moving to the side of the road to let the red van behind us pass us by. I followed him, waiting for the van to zoom ahead, but to my surprise, they slowed when they were next to us, and the passenger window rolled down. Surprised, I looked at the people inside. There was a man and a woman inside – the woman with blond hair pulled back in a ponytail, at the wheel, and the man with slicked back hair and round glasses. Both of them were wearing nice clothing, and what appeared to be lab coats over their work clothes.

"Excuse me," said the man closest to us. "We seem to be lost. Could you direct us to the nearest highway? We have a map here."

I looked at Cor, who shrugged and walked over to the van. I followed him, and we stood near the open window as the guy pulled out a map and shook it out.

Cor bent his head over the map, placing his finger on a spot. "Look, here's where we are. If you just follow this road here…" He traced a line over the paper. "You should get to –"

His voice stopped abruptly.

I didn't have time to figure out why, because I felt a pinch at my neck, and everything went black.

* * *

**A/N: I'm probably not going to write Cor's POV again. I have wanted to write that scene since I started the story, though, so I just had to put it in. XD**

**Anyway, I hope you guys don't hate me too much for the wait for the chapter. If you can't tell, the action is gonna pick up, really soon.**

**See ya next time, and don't forget to leave a review!**


	6. And NaNoWriMo Intervenes!

Hey guys.

I am bringing both good and bad news. The bad news is, this is not an update. This is an author's note.

GASP.

But, within that authors note, I am bringing good news. (For myself. For you, maybe not so much.)

During November, I don't think there are going to be any updates at all from me (except for Doomed to Remember…suckersss) Because… I'm doing NaNoWriMo this year! *sings Star Wars theme song* Dun, DUN! Dun dun dun DUN dun! Dun dun dun DUN dun! Dun dun dun dun~!

And I'm really looking forward to it but it's going to be a huge effort.

For those of you who don't know what NaNoWriMo is, it's pretty much where you write a novel in the month of November. 50,000 words total. (Actually, I like to write 50K. Makes it seem much more official.) I'll give all of you a moment to pull out your calculators and divide 50,000 by 30. That's right – I'll be writing about 1,667 words a day.

This is my first year doing it, so I'm not quite sure how it works, but if you want to track me let me know. (I doubt anyone will, but whatever.)

I've written a small little excerpt to get myself motivated, so I'll include it for you to make you feel like I'm doing something productive.

"The funeral wasn't until Monday but August was already feeling restless. Idle hands are the devil's tools, wasn't that how it went? He needed to do something or else he'd end up...No, he wasn't going there, not without the old feelings of guilt resurfacing to bite him in the ass, the pain, the desire to curl up in his bed and slowly rot until the smell of his own body odor dragged him from the sheets and into the shower. Oh, that was right, the bed; August glanced at the calendar, remembering Blaze's tradition of changing the mattress twice a year. Blaze had the date circled with a red felt-tipped marker. It was supposed to be tomorrow but August was sure that it wouldn't make a difference if he flipped the bed a day early. He heaved himself from the chair, abandoning his half-eaten grilled cheese sandwich that was destined for the garbage. He wiped his greasy fingers on his jeans and slouched into their bedroom. The bed was unmade. He wasn't very motivated to do anything without Blaze to kick his ass for not doing anything. But this was the one tradition he'd do without his brother's aid. He eyed the mattress unhappily before resigning himself to the first year of executing Blaze's ridiculous habit without him by his side. Slowly August reached for the blankets and pulled them off at an unwilling sort of speed. What have I come to, he wondered as he stripped the blankets slowly. And why are there so many blankets on my bed. It's the middle of summer, for Chrissake. If it was up to him there would be nothing but a thin sheet and a thin quilt but Blaze always had to be warm. Eventually the sheets and blankets and quilts lay in an unruly heap on the floor and August surveyed the naked mattress. How depressing. He stomped over to Blaze's side of the bed and reached down to grasp the lip of the mattress. Already his back hurt. August's face twisted in distaste and shifted his fingers farther under the bed. Surprisingly his middle finger met with something hard and smooth. He twisted his hand, kneeling and pushing his arm farther under the mattress, grasping at the object in an effort to discover what it was. His fingers closed around it and he drew it out, sitting back on his haunches and looking closer. It appeared to be...a diary."

So, um, yeah.

Sorry about the no updates, but …wish me luck anyway?

:D


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